Air Chathams looks to cut schedule in the face of soaring fuel prices

Photo: Supplied

Air Chathams will axe a significant number of its flight due to the global fuel crisis.

Chief executive Duane Emeny told Checkpoint that the airline will cut around 45 per cent of flights into Whakatane, 22 percent of flights into Whanganui and 10 percent into Kapiti.

Emeny says the price of fuel means the airline is unable to even cover its direct costs.

He says the airline had previously paid around half-a-million dollars a month for fuel – that’s now roughly doubled to over a million dollars.

It follows Air New Zealand’s decision to trim its flights further, in May and June.

The national carrier revealed its fuel bill has doubled to $8.5 million a day, forcing it to raise some fares.

In March, Air Chathams added a $20 surcharge on all its tickets due to the rising cost of aviation fuel.

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